


The Roar of the Lion

by felixsitvivere



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Mythology, And he just wants to be a part of it all, Angst, Creature Fic, Dark Magic, Elemental Magic, Fae & Fairies, Felix is a curious human and a danger to himself, I made it sound more boring than it is, I'm not giving anything away in the tags, It's a mystery who's ass it is, Magic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Witchcraft, Witches, kinda dystopian, lemme adopt him please
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27374140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felixsitvivere/pseuds/felixsitvivere
Summary: He'd had enough of seeing pain and sadness around every corner he turned. He'd had enough of being alone.When Felix's world collapsed around him and took everything he loved from him, he was left to fend for himself against The Nightmares.Five years down the line and he was ready to change things and if that meant running into the biggest ass he'd ever seen then so be it. Oh, and the claws didn't make things any better.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 15





	1. Over and Over...Again

A sharp ringing shocked him out of slumber, he opened his eyes to darkness. Felix sat up and flipped the sheets off his body, allowing the cold to bite at his skin. It took a whole minute for him to gather the will to move, feeling around in the dark for the switch of his lamp.

The bright lights flooded the shallow space, causing him to squint his bleary eyes and groan.

“Goddamn…” His hoarse voice sounded in the silence of the tiny box room as he sluggishly moved towards a neatly folded pile of clothes. It was another day of misery for him, another day of routine and cold meals and another laborious few hours at work. Yet the day was buzzing like a live wire. For the first time in his solitary life, his day wouldn’t end with him encased in this tiny box room.

He grabbed the musty, drab shirt from the pile and pulled it over his head, making a mess of his hair in the process, covering the markings on his skin. The only remains of his late family lay inky on his skin in the form of numbers and letters.

God, he missed them. Nothing was the same after the king was murdered in cold blood, witnessed by the eyes of his entire nation as dark creatures moved upon the crowds giving them no time to grieve before capturing them all. The people called them ‘Nightmares’, for their dark appearance was as haunting as the mind's most fearful conjurings. They didn’t care who they preyed on as long as it made them stronger. 

They refused to stop there, it was clear that their power-hungry force wanted the world to themselves and they were destroying it at a fast pace, unstoppable, a nightmare. The people were plunged into darkness and suffering, families were torn apart, people were killed for rebelling and they had no power to fight it. Names weren’t used, all sense of identity was taken from them save for an identification number assigned to each resident.

It took three months for the friends Felix knew to disappear as he was taken with his family to the nearest camp. He was fifteen when the Nightmares killed his parents, and he blamed himself every day for it. They risked their lives to feed him and when caught they were given no mercy. Felix was left as a token to those in his quadrant, reminding them to never disobey or seek comforts.

He wasn’t allowed to hurt, no one was, for it was counterproductive and there was to be no taking over the world if people showed emotion. The only grievance they were allowed was the tattoos, commemorating the fallen ones using their identification codes, but they had to be hidden. Some tattoo artists were brave enough to tattoo other markings and symbols although nobody knew what they meant, although the pain of receiving one was liberating compared to the pain of every day.

Felix had started his collection of hidden markings since his parents' death, and as more people were killed he began to stop forming acquaintances for fear that they would die too and only a few other ID numbers laced his skin before he turned to the designs. The ink gave him a strange sense of hope, like some kind of strength had wrapped its way around his mind, fortifying it from the darkness and shining a light. 

Five years later and Felix had fallen into a steady rhythm. Felix wanted to change things, he’d spent too long locked away and he needed to find others like him who were willing to fight. Those people weren’t here though, here was hopeless and he figured that the only place that others could be found was outside his camp. Five years stuck in the camp caused him to know the place like the back of his hand after running errand after errand through the dusty, sweltering refuge.

A forest lay just outside, bordering the left side of the compound and something about the forest had ensnared his mind for he thought about it like crazy. Felix itched to escape even now in the rising daylight, but the day was most dangerous, even his fellow people couldn’t be trusted for they may turn on him to gain rewards. But Felix knew patterns just as well as he knew the camp and for the last week he had paid particular attention to the guards, the people and entities leaving and entering the camp and the places best hidden from prying eyes. Just as his own life never changed it seemed the same for his environment and this was key to his escape.

Today was different, and only he was aware, for when night fell Felix would either be the first to escape his personal hell or another name on the list of the fallen. He just needed to get through the rest of the day.

He felt uneasy as he donned his boots and left his room, joining the sunken faces outside as he dragged himself off to work.

Felix helped in the storage unit, bringing in and sorting out food, clothing, weaponry and any products. It was laborious and he was paid only enough to suffice a meal a day and to replace one item of clothing each month with just a little left for random items that were left over after everything was supplied. It was tough, but he had to do it if he wanted any hope of survival.

“Eyes down” A human guard stood with a gun, ready to point it at Felix if he didn’t comply. 

_Look at you._

_Idiot, you’ve given up too easily._

_You have no idea what game you’re playing._

Though his thoughts were mocking, Felix couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guard. He was ensnared by the evil, broken down till he became one of them. Felix could never live that way, he needed the night to fall so he could make his escape.

At dinner, Felix tried to savour the little meal he had, unsure of when he would get another or if he’d even live to see his next. It was useless to dwell on the “What if’s” if he was too scared to even try in the first place.

-

His heart rate quickened, the unease from earlier settling in the pit of his stomach. As quietly as humanly possible he gathered his limited possessions and a small rucksack to stuff them in. The biggest triumph of his collection was the pocket knife he’d taken from the weapon store after the guards grabbed all the guns, it wasn't much. Still, if he were to fight or hunt it was better than his bare hands. 

_This is it._

The bag was hiked high on his back like a shell, to keep it safe and close to his body. This act prevented the bag from catching on anything or making noise that may hinder his escape.

Felix held his breath, clutched the knife in his pocket and opened the door. The aim was to leave the building as quickly as possible to make it to the storage centre. Felix knew from his work that a shipment was due to leave the camp that night as it did every week and he aimed to be on the vehicle carrying it when it left.

The hall was dim, lights flickered, but it was silent. It was now or never. 

His sleeping quarters weren’t far from the storage centre, but getting out the building was a whole other feat before he could worry about what was outside. He crept down the corridor towards the stairwell and paused to listen for movement. The stairs were quiet, no flashlights could be seen below indicating guards on duty so he took a tentative step down and continued with caution.

If he could make it three floors down then it was possible for him to drop from the window at the end of that row of sleeping quarters. The stairwell was the most well-hidden part, but the corridor was exposed and if someone were to walk around the corner at the wrong time he’d be caught for sure.

Felix was worried about the lack of movement but wasn’t prepared to waste time, he positioned himself in front of the small window and flipped the latches. One let out a creek that sounded much louder in the echoey corridor that it should have. His heart sped up and his breath was stuck in his throat, but he continued to slowly open the window. The ledge was small and he had to drop the bag down before propping himself on the edge, it was then that a flashlight danced across his vision. Someone must have heard the window and was investigating.

_Shit, this isn’t good._

Felix had his torso hanging out the window and was supporting his weight on his hands. If he didn’t drop now then whoever had the light would find him here and that would be the end for him.

He let go of the ledge and fell five feet, rolling when hitting the ground to avoid crunching on the loose pebbles below his feet before darting just below the window in case the guard decided to look outside. He heard the window close and lock but no alarms sounded and as far as he knew no guns were aimed at him so he started moving, keeping to the shadows and darkest places in order to get as close to the storage rooms as possible.

The last building he could shelter in was still a little far from where he needed to be but he sheltered in the darkness till the low rumble of an engine could be heard and a van emerged into the small cul-de-sac outside the storage unit. The van’s headlights turned off and Felix was left in the dark again trying to get his eyes to adjust.

A driver and guard climbed out of the van and approached the storage unit and were met halfway by others to help with transporting the supplies to the van. Felix waited for them to become distracted with the boxes before lowering himself to the floor and crawling his way onto the path between the shadows he was hidden in and the van. It was dark enough to remain unnoticed as long as he was quiet and moved when no one was watching.

_It's now or never._

He crawled low, almost flat, against the dirt path, marking and tearing his clothes. Something the driver held seemed to capture the attention of the guards as they stood in the light of the storage unit and Felix took his chance.

His heart raced as he scrambled to his feet, pushing the ground away and using it as a kickstart. The van was just in reach, yet the driver had begun walking towards the van, a small crate in hand and Felix started to panic. 

He wasn’t going to make it.

He was forced to lower himself to the ground again so he wouldn’t be noticed as the driver along with one of the guards opened the back of the van to add the crate to the pile.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Could you grab the keys? I left them inside while getting the last lot of shipments” The driver motioned to the guy who sighed before walking away. The driver turned towards where Felix was lying. He was just...staring.

_Shit._

It was too late to make a run for it, but Felix tried anyway.

“Hey! Just wait a second” It was oddly hushed as if the man didn’t want anyone hearing. This was the only reason why Felix stopped. Maybe it’s a trap. The guy didn’t chase after him, he stayed by the open van door nodding his head towards it as though he was okay with aiding a stowaway. Felix took a moment to consider.

“For christ’s sake! Get in before he comes back” Felix had no choice but to trust that he wasn’t being tricked as he approached the man with caution who hinted at the guard who was making his way back over. He hoisted himself into the cramped area and the door closed. Please don’t be a trap.

He crouched down among the stacked objects, close to the door so that he could easily open it to get out. The driver and guard climbed in and Felix prayed to anyone listening for his luck to last as the engine started its slow drive out of the camp.

His limited view out the front window saw the canopy of the forest nearing, growing in size and morphing in the darkness. Felix reached towards the door handle ready for his chance, glancing back once to check that nothing was suspicious. He caught the eye of the driver in the mirror. Goosebumps littered his skin as he waited for him to compromise Felix's position. But it never came. Instead, he nodded discreetly and Felix felt as though it was a message telling him to go.

He swallowed thickly and prepared himself, pushing down on the handle and flinging the door open, dashing for the safety of the trees. The noise of a gunshot sounded behind him and a bright flaring light was seen from out the corner of his eye, he had a feeling he was being tailed. A crackling sound followed, much like the sound of electricity moving through an overhead wire and a buzz jolted through his bones. What kind of fucking gun was that! Felix thought as he breached through the first line of trees, turning back and half expecting to see someone hot on his tail, but strangely the man had stopped right at the border.

Laughter bubbled up in his throat and rumbled through the expanse of his chest. He'd made it. He'd spent five years in hell, hurting and hoping for something more. And here he was.

But it would seem that he was all out of luck as he turned back around to run straight into the biggest ass he had ever seen.

  
  



	2. Welcome to Nephosaea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy my lovelies!

Felix lay sprawled across the damp, mossy floor staring up at the looming figure. The darkness presented only a shadow of the creature he had met face to ass, but this shadow was distinctly lion-like. However, he was pretty convinced that it was much too big to be a normal lion.

_ And wait, lions aren’t even native here… _

His thoughts were cut sharp as the hulking beast turned its body to face him. He was in awe for almost a second, gazing into its glinting eyes till the lion let out a mighty roar and prowled its way forward. There was no time to scream, no time to call out for help. He had to move. Now.

Perhaps it was useless to try, but Felix scrambled to get his feet underneath him and ran. He shot forward, pushing his legs to run faster than ever before to get even the smallest chance of escaping. Felix swore that the ground shook as the lion bounded after him and that induced enough fear in his mind to keep him powering forward and refrain from turning around.

Had he not been running for his life, Felix would have appreciated the change in scenery as he delved deeper into the forest. It was like walking through a room of fairy lights except these fairy lights floated and appeared to dance as he flew past, he’d never heard of this happening. He almost stopped to admire the beauty of it, after all, it was quite spectacular. He was quite thankful though that the forest floor had been illuminated with a magnificent pinkish glow, it was preventing him from tripping over the roots and stones that stuck out the earth at unhelpful moments.

Then it began to look as if the trees themselves were moving and Felix wondered whether or not he ate something funny. It was when he felt something move against his ankle that he knew something was really wrong in this forest. He screamed, his feet were snatched out from under him and his face was dangling inches from the floor before being yanked up into the air so he was hung upside down. Felix took the chance to look up at what was trapping him, half expecting to see a snare trap, but a leafy tendril was wrapped around his ankle. It cut into his skin and led onto the limb of a tree.

The lion paced below him and Felix was fearful that it would use its immense power to pounce on him as he hung helplessly in the air. 

Desperately trying to think of a way out, the pocket knife lay heavy in his pocket reminding him that if there was ever a time to use it, it was now. He was careful when removing it to avoid dropping the only weapon on his body. Felix curled his torso up to grasp onto the vine and brought the blade to it, flipping it up so it could be used.

“Stop!” In his shock of hearing a voice, the knife slipped from his hand. There was a gasp which told Felix that he wasn’t just imagining things.

“Geez are you trying to kill me?” Felix looked down to see not a lion but a boy with wide eyes staring up at him and glancing down at the knife that fell a mere three inches from his foot.

“W-Who are you?” He asked tentatively, trying to ignore the pressure building in his head from hanging upside down for too long and wishing he didn’t drop the knife.

“I could ask you the same considering you’re trapped by my tree” The boy proceeded to place a palm on the wood of the tree as he talked and slowly Felix was lowered to the ground again, unceremoniously falling on his back when the tree decided he was close enough to the ground and let go. His vision swam for a second as he sat up but that was soon overcome as he remembered the stranger.

He searched for the knife, ready to defend himself, but no attack came. Instead, the boy looked down at him with amusement in his eyes.

“How did you do that?” Felix would have believed it was completely normal for a tree to hoist him up and then listen to the orders of a boy if he was completely insane. But he wasn’t quite there yet in his life and knew that trees shouldn’t be able to do that nor should they seem to understand the boy’s words.

“I’m Jisung” The boy looked as if he were from a movie. Tiny flowers were placed in his hair and he wore earthy coloured clothes with no shoes. He looked far from deadly till Felix felt his eyes wandering to the machete looking weapon slung around the other shoulder.

“Felix” He replied slowly, wondering if he should be more scared of the lion coming back or the boy that could easily murder him. “...Are you going to kill me?”.

“Only if you want me to” Jisung smiled at him and held out a hand. Felix flinched a little but when there was no sign of harm he allowed Jisung to lift him off the floor and stepped away, anticipating an attack.

“You haven’t answered my question yet...” Something weird was happening in this forest and it was slightly worrying to Felix who had only just gotten away from the camp and was more than ready to pass out from the night’s events.

“I care for the trees and plants, the forest is basically my bitch” As though hearing his words, the tree that had suspended Felix in the air reached out the same vine and whipped it at the boy as though it was angered. Felix was intrigued yet hesitant, his curiosity was getting the best of him in a potentially dangerous situation.

“What do you mean by that?”.

“I’m a fairy, y’know, magic and that…” Felix nodded slowly pretending like this wasn’t the oddest conversation ever experienced. “Anyway, you seem nauseous. Come with me and we can get you somewhere to lie down” Felix wasn’t sure what made him follow the boy as he retreated further into the forest. He couldn’t trust someone he had just met, especially when The Nightmares were still at large. “I promise nothing bad will happen. Please, I just want to help you. If I’m being honest we’ve been waiting for someone like you”.

“Who’s ‘we’? And what do you want with me?” Unsure of who exactly Jisung was referring to, he wondered what someone like him was and what on earth they could possibly need him for.

“You’ll find out soon enough” He didn’t like the mysterious tone in his voice or the look that passed through Jisung’s eyes. But they continued through the dense trees anyway, figuring anywhere was better than the cold, dark and possibly lion tainted area he first entered into. 

Jisung walked ahead slightly but slowed when Felix began walking toward the same glowing lights from earlier, curious of what the effect the had was caused by. Upon getting closer Felix noticed that the lights were no lights at all, but they were, in fact, tiny fireflies bobbing up and down flashing red, pink and purple. 

_ Woah _ . Felix was in awe of the beautiful creatures.  _ This has to be a dream right, that’s the only logical explanation for all this _ .

“Come on, just wait till we get back to camp. You’ll love it” Felix cringed a little, thinking something along the lines of the place he’d left behind. But as they delved deeper into this new world, the trees began to thin and Felix could see silhouettes of trees even taller than the ones around him that he couldn’t see before. Little windows and doors peppered up and down the trees, buried into the branches and trunk as if they were part of the tree themselves. Stepping stones floated in the air leading from this door to that door and he could have sworn that people were just walking across them with ease far off in the distance. Now and then Felix would have to brush aside piles of vines that were illuminated by golden flecks or step over flowers and plants that produced a honey-like scent and seemed to chime as he walked past.

“That’s the Earth Fae magic at work, the stones. We spend a lot of our time in the canopy and most houses are only accessible if you go from the village centre and walk out along the paths” Felix was trying so hard to listen to what Jisung told him, but his mind wandered from one new thing to another.

It was the gigantic tree standing in what Felix believed to be the centre that stood out the most. Stairs were carved into the hollow of the tree and he could only assume that they led up to the castle-like structure sitting in the centre. The branches stretched out underneath it to curl themselves around the building, almost as if they were fingers on a hand. 

He stopped short of the entrance to the hollow. It’s not right to just follow him up there. Even if Jisung didn’t seem threatening, Felix couldn’t guarantee that the others he’d mentioned weren’t. Jisung noticed Felix’s hesitance to follow him up the stairs.

“This is our headquarters. You can meet our leader and he’ll maybe be able to answer some of those questions. I promise there is nothing scarier here that what we’ve just walked through” Felix was quite speechless considering the fact that a large beast had just chased him through the darkness. Yet, he put one foot in front of the other and started after Jisung up the stairs. They spiralled up and up with only slivers of light coming through little windows, illuminating the dark oak interior. From what could be seen, the sun was slowly coming up, casting great shadows across the forest.

They entered into a dim and oaky smelling entrance hall. Felix took in a breath and enjoyed the calming feeling he got from the smell, it was much nicer than the dusty camp he left behind. In front of them stood two doors that looked as if they were made for giants rather than their tiny little beings.

“Wait till you see this...” Jisung nudged him forward towards the door and there was no malice in his eyes when he nodded towards the door. Felix reached out, letting the surprisingly smooth surface glide over his fingertips...and then he pushed. Light filtered through the small crack in the door which slowly widened creating a big enough gap for them both to pass through. 

“Welcome to Nephosaea”.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have a chapter or two up every day for the next couple of days, as I'm only editing the chapters I wrote when I first started this story (I'm reuploading this as a newer version since it's been a whole year since I first wrote this concept as a different work if you were unaware). After chapter 5 (where I got to on the previous work) the chapters will be every few days to a week. I thought y'all might like to know the regularity of the posts so that's the plan anyway, whether I stick to it or not is a mystery hehe!


	3. Strangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this is a tour of the centre of the village although Felix finally gets to meet the 'We' that Jisung keeps talking about

Felix peered into the newly exposed room. The walls were high, shaped like twisting branches and rough to the touch. The room was rounded and had two staircases that curved up towards a balcony where an archway sat leading presumably to another room. Between the staircases and just under the balcony was a statue shaped like a sun. Looking around, Felix noted the many passageways leading from the room and promised himself that he would go through each one when given the chance unless a lion was lurking in one.

“I’ll take you to the infirmary, get your leg sorted” Jisung led him to a smaller archway to the left of the door they entered through and down a gradually brightening hall as the sun presented itself more clearly in the sky.

“It’s not that bad really. I don’t feel any pain” To prove it Felix pulled his trouser leg up a fraction and poked around at the angry red ring on his ankle and proceeded to try and turn them back. He was eager to explore, growing more used to his surroundings and less hesitant of this foreign atmosphere.

“Not so fast” Jisung wrapped an arm around him tighter. “Even if there’s no pain it’s still inflamed and you were upside down for a few minutes so you’re probably lightheaded. I’m just gonna check” Felix huffed and kept walking till Jisung pushed open another door. The infirmary was of a rich, white birch interior and had many rooms and corridors. He was surprised to see others up and working that early in the morning and was a little nervous walking through, all eyes on him.

“Minho!” Jisung shouted, perhaps a little louder than necessary at another who was carefully stacking bottles of strange items along a shelf. The other startled, dropping the bottle that was in his hand at that moment. The bottle shattered and a silvery substance splattered on the floor.

“Seriously Ji, I bought that yesterday” Minho turned around and glared a little before noticing Felix. “Who is this?” He directed the question at Jisung like he didn’t trust Felix to tell him the truth.

“This is Felix, a human” Something registered in the boy's eyes, something like shock and Felix stood there awkwardly as whispers filled the infirmary. Uneasiness danced in his mind and he began to feel like running again as the others around them watched.

Minho waved a hand above the spilt substance and Felix watched as it disappeared, more questions springing to mind as time passed. The other approached him. “Come with me” Felix looked at Jisung who just shrugged and went to walk beside Minho, heading towards one of the rooms leaving Felix with no other choice.

“This will let us talk in private” The door closed behind him on its own.

“Sit” Minho’s voice wasn’t cold or angry, but Felix got the impression that he meant business. Felix dragged a chair towards the other two and hesitantly sat down.

“I assume you came from the camp outside the forest, correct?” Felix nodded. “And no one else escaped?”.

“No I’m the only one, but I had help” Minho’s eyes narrowed slightly and he turned towards Jisung as if discussing the new information silently between themselves.

Felix answered what he could from what he was asked, most of it being about his escape.

“Okay, I’ll save the rest of the questions till Chan gets here. Jisung you should probably go get him instead of sitting here with us” A hint of amusement glittered in Minho’s eyes as Jisung scrambled out of the room.

“You’ve been told of magic, yes?” Now just the two of them, Minho redirected his attention to Felix. 

“Yeah. I’m still processing it though” The topic made Felix wonder what Minho could be and how he vanished the substance. He wasn’t dressed in the same things as Jisung, but Felix guessed it wasn’t necessary to have weapons in an infirmary, or bare feet. He was still a little weird about the whole magic-fairy thing, it’s not every day that you see someone control a tree or things floating and disappearing.  _ It may still be a dream, a really realistic dream. _

“I’ve had a few patients run into one of those things, almost a few deaths too. The whole upside-down thing is really dangerous, but it works against any unwanted creatures” Despite his intimidating appearance at first, Minho was growing on him a little as he eased them into casual conversation.

“ _ He’s in here _ ” Felix could hear Jisung’s muffled voice from behind the door and sure enough a few seconds later it was opened. 

Felix shrank in his seat, looking up at someone who he could only assume to be Chan. His appearance was more intimidating than any others Felix had seen since arriving in Nephrosaea. He looked more like a guard from his old camp with the two gun-like objects held in holsters on his back and dressed in all black. 

“Can I speak to you alone?” His voice, however, was rather calming in contrast. Felix forced a quick nod and felt his palms sweat as Jisung and Minho left, closing the door behind them. Chan took a seat, sitting directly across from him and leaning slightly forward giving Felix the chance to look closer. From what he could see Chan seemed to have strange runes in white ink on his visible skin. Just under his eye was a sun symbol that glowed lowly, this brought Felix back to the statue in the other room and also made him want a cooler tattoo than what he already has.

“Jisung has filled me in on what he knows and how he found you, but I want to hear it from you. So, start from the beginning…” He sat patiently. Felix wasn’t sure where the beginning was so he started with the Nightmares and his parents. Chan sat for what must have been half an hour listening to what was practically Felix’s life story. Neither reacting or showing any emotion to the otherwise distressing sequences of events.

Felix left out the information about the strange weapon fired at him as he escaped, and decided it was best to leave out the lion too.  _ Probably for the best, I don’t want them to think I’m crazy. _

Felix wasn’t entirely sure why he was telling everything to these strangers. Perhaps there was an urge to talk after speaking so little in the past five years. Maybe something in the back of his mind made him feel like he was safer here than anywhere else and so he let it all out. Or maybe he was just plain stupid, there was really no telling.

“Okay, thank you. That’s all I need for now. I’ll call Minho back and he can take a look at all your scratches” Felix looked down at his shirt. Under the brighter lights of the infirmary, not only did he appear to be covered in dirt but where his shirt was ripped blood also seemed to pattern the fabric, probably from tearing through the trees while escaping the lion.

-

Felix lay quietly on a hospital bed, trying not to gag at the smell of whatever Minho was using to treat his inflamed skin. He didn’t much appreciate the sight of his blood so he just allowed Minho to tend to the little wounds.

“There, they should be healed in the next few minutes. How’s your head?” Minho sat back and Felix pulled his rumpled shirt down to cover himself again.

“Not bad, I’m not that weak you know” He heard the other snort.

“Maybe don’t go running into trees then. Let me see your ankle” He waited for Felix to sit up and hang his feet over the bed. His trouser leg was pulled up and somehow it looked as though the red ring was worsening with large welts forming around where the vine had wrapped his leg.

“Hmm, it didn’t look like that before” Felix looked at it stupidly while Minho darted around, pulling things from drawers and off shelves. Felix could’ve sworn he’d seen something move in one of the containers.

“I think there are traces of poison in there, the Fae folk protect their elements with whatever they can at the expense of the victims of course. Let’s just say it was probably good that you got down when you did” Felix watched more carefully this time as the other pulled strange herbs from jars and ground them into a fine powder. 

“This is just a simple anti-poison, it’ll calm the blistering” Water was added to the mixture before Minho smoothed some onto his thumb, applying it directly to Felix’s skin. It sent an odd sensation through his body but wasn’t unpleasant, just odd. “D’you mind?” Minho held a hand to where he’d just put the ointment.

Instantly, Felix felt a tingling under the flesh around where Minho’s hand lay. They sat like that for a minute and it was the most awkward minute Felix had ever experienced, but when the hand was moved Felix didn’t expect to see that his skin had returned to its normal state.

The flaring red bumps had vanished.

“W-what…” He searched his skin with disbelief. “How did you…?”.

“How did I what?” Minho got up casually, placed a pile of new clothes next to Felix and reached for the door handle. “Clean up and meet me out here when your done” And with that, he left swiftly.

-

Incredibly self-aware, Felix left the room to find a few eyes turn to him despite all attempts to stay quiet and invisible.

“Felix!” Minho caught his attention, distracting him from all the watchers who seemed to chatter animatedly. “We better get you settled in. How about a tour?” That piqued his interest.  _ Finally a chance to explore. _

His hands itched to reach out and touch every object they passed and his mind raced with questions still, but he kept himself to himself. Surprisingly, Minho seemed just as excited.

“This is the centre of all operations. Usually, during the day this place will be bustling with workers” They were back in the room with all the doorways and surely enough others were beginning to mill around, moving from one side to the other, through one of the 9 doorways or up the stairs to the balcony.

“What’s the importance of the sun?” Felix pointed to the statue that first caught his eye when entering.

“It’s our symbol, representing the Light Fairies. Light Fairies are one of the strongest elementals which is why we chose them as our leaders” Felix almost fell over from leaning into the conversation, he wanted to hear every detail, enamoured by this hidden world.

“Is Chan a Light Fairy?” Both Jisung and Minho referred to the other as ‘Leader’ and Felix had pieced it together judging by the sun symbol on Chan’s cheek.

“He is, although I reckon that he’d make a good leader even if he wasn’t a light fairy” Speaking of the sun, it had crept its way higher into the sky since he’d last seen it. The light entered the building, casting itself in colourful lines across the floor as it shone through the stained glass and Felix could see that only 7 of the doorways led to other parts of the building. The others went outside into the treetops.

“The door on the other side of the infirmary is the Headquarter Homebase, that’s where you’ll probably stay, it’s a lot safer for a human. The two next to Homebase and the infirmary lead to the treetops” Felix was curious to find out what his living space would be like and grateful that they were okay with him staying.

“Beside the treetop access on the right is the library, you’ll find the library, the door opposite on the left is off-limits though” Curiosity was building again, but he quelled it in an attempt to stop himself breaking any rules.

“The other doorways are the training rooms, but you won't have much use for those yet. The final door that’s just under the balcony is our storage” Felix felt a slight shiver pass over him at the mention of storage. “You can go down and see the market later, but I may have to let someone else take you” Felix nodded in understanding as they ascended the left-most staircase right up to the archway on the balcony. This arch held no secrets like the one he pushed open to get in here, no doors hid any surprises. It was a long room with marble walls and a high ceiling that had pictures and scenes carved beautifully into the stone. It seemed to tell a story. A cloud blue walkway was rolled out across the floor from one end to the other and rows of tables were placed either side of it. People sat at these tables, eating and chatting with anyone around them.

“We try to have meals as a community, it helps us feel more united. It’s better at dinner because everyone joins us instead of just grabbing something and heading to work” Minho had to raise his voice a little as there were many chattering voices. He walked Felix to the end of the hall where another arch was positioned, identical to the other.

“Chan spends a lot of time in this part of HQ” The domed room past the doorway was much smaller than the one out front, there were only three entrances and each had a set of stairs that went up. They were directly in front as he entered the room and the left and right set of stairs curved up their respective ways. Felix could see two pod-shaped areas through the windows where he assumed they led to. 

“Middle one is his private quarters so you won’t get in there unless permitted, the other two, however, are fully accessible. Two little greenhouses, one for spring and summer plants and the other for autumn and winter. They’re worth a visit whenever you have time and they change every day so it’s always different” Felix pressed his face against one of the windows looking out towards the right pod to get a glimpse of the plants and fogging up the window with his breath. 

“I better get back to work, we can go see if anyone in the food hall is willing to take you around the market” Felix rolled his eyes a little.

“I said I don’t need babysitting” He still followed closely as they went back to search tables. Minho, completely ignoring him, walked up to one of the tables near the back.

“Changbin, hey. This is Felix. Can you take him around the market?” Minho didn’t even bother to wait for a response before turning to go back to the infirmary.

Felix watched him leave before turning to the new face. It would seem he was particularly unwelcome, judging by the cold stare given by the other.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is that last update for today, I'm still debating whether or not to add ships into this new version like I was gonna do with the original. It might be nice to just have it be a fantasy/dystopian story with lots of adventure, but let me know what you think


	4. Up in the Treetops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is honestly my favourite so far, I'm a sucker for magic and colours and imaginative things and how I see this forest is honestly my dream place. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it too :D

Awkward was one hell of an understatement. It was silent as they climbed down the spiral stairs, Felix trailing behind like a lost duckling. The boy had lost his glare, but Felix kinda wished he’d have kept it. At least then it was clear that he wasn’t wanted, now it was just confusing.

“I can go by myself, then I won’t take up more of your time” He tried to compromise, almost desperately wanting the time to himself anyway so he could explore thoroughly. The other ignored him and continued to make his way down to the base of the large tree. 

_ Nevermind then. _

Felix hopped off the final step, feeling the warmth of the morning sun radiate across his skin. It was nice to be outside with relative freedom for once instead of the few minutes he got on the way to the storage unit at camp.

The forest floor around the base of the tree was now bustling with life. Little market stores were now lining the streets and paths under the treetop village and Felix felt his eyes light up like those of a kid in a candy store. 

Colours Felix hadn’t seen in a long time seemed to flood his senses and he realised just how much he’d missed whilst being practically incarcerated in the camp. The dull, stony walls of his room and the grey-green clothing were all he really knew from living there. Now the brightest blood reds and sunny golds filtered into his vision, and Felix felt emotional. Unaware that someone had taken the colour from his life for more than five years, it all hit him now, all the joyous things that had been kept from him for so much time.

He could sense Changbin watching him as he took in all the stalls, still refusing to say anything. Felix figured that if neither of them was going to speak then he could just show himself around the market. He took off towards a stall with a rich purple shade, dotted with golden stars.

Between the masses of people, he felt like it was the perfect place to be. Everyone was too busy staring at everything else to stare at him and his absolute newness to their community.

Felix closely examined the array of strange objects for sale in the store, getting just a little too close to a steel ring with a dragon adornment. He was not expecting the metallic creature to huff a breath of fire at his face and curl its body tighter around the band as though it was protecting it. 

_ Woah. _

“Try not to touch everything, some of the shopkeepers don’t like it” Felix may have flinched upon hearing the others voice, but who could tell for sure. It’s not like he was expecting it and the words sounded harsh in his ears.

“You see, I would have known that if you were actually speaking to me. I did say I’d be okay alone” Granted he probably wasn’t in the position to snap, but he’d had enough of being pushed around by people who think they know best. If everyone else he’d met so far had made an effort then why couldn’t Changbin? It’s not like Felix had done anything wrong, except maybe taken up someone’s time although he was offering to explore alone.

_ So what’s the big deal. _

For a second he thought he saw regret flash across the others face, but put it down to the magic of the place.

“Fine, it’s not like I want to babysit humans anyway” Felix rolled his eyes and walked away before the other boy did. He already knew he didn’t belong here, there was no need to rub it in. “What an idiot” It was childish to mutter under his breath, but nothing was stopping him from doing it.

“Who’s an idiot?” Felix visibly jumped out of his skin. Jisung stood, peering over his shoulder and coincidentally giving him the fright of his life. 

“Damn, now look who’s trying to kill who” Felix visibly relaxed, kinda thankful to have someone more friendly around.

“Sorry...not my fault you talk to yourself though. Now, tell me who the idiot is”.

“Just that guy I was with. Minho had to leave so he left me with an idiot who ignored me and then got annoyed when I called him out for it”.

“Changbin isn’t bad, but he does act like a bit of an idiot sometimes” Felix couldn’t see what Jisung saw in the other, but at least they agreed that he was an idiot.

“Don’t tell me you two are friends…” Felix whined, he was kinda hoping they’d never have to meet again, but it was starting to look like that option was off the table.

“Oh don’t kick yourself over it, it’s not the end of the world. Woah, look at that” Jisung grinned at him and pulled him over to one of the stalls that were currently sprouting purple plumes and sending sparks out in all direction. Felix knew it was a distraction tactic and he was thankful for it, not fond of talking sour anymore. 

His morning had improved a lot as he and Jisung wandered the streets. On his right hand sat the dragon ring which Jisung had bought for him after he went back to admire it a second time and found out that the money he had from the camp wasn’t useable in this village. 

“I’ll pay you back, promise...how does this even work” He murmured in curiosity as he watched the little dragon slither around the band, his own ring that belonged to him and him alone.

“You can pay me now, I’ve got some stuff to do and I need some company or I’ll get bored. That can be your payment” Felix was eager to help, wanting to see more of the village and its magic as well as show his gratitude for the gift. And with that, they walked off into the depths of the forest.

-

He was in awe. Jisung had been hoisted into the air by tree vines and was currently busying himself with some kind of task involving magic. A soft glow was omitted from the palms of his hands with light green, smoky plumes swirling up every now and again.

“Get up here” Jisung shouted down to him, swinging out on a branch over the long drop and holding onto the tree with one hand as easily as Felix would walk on flat ground. 

Felix was certain the tree was listening now as it reached out a branch like it was holding out a hand for him to take. He gently placed his own hand onto the old pine’s branch and felt his feet leave the ground, suddenly feeling panicked at the lack of support as he had only a very tight grip on the tree preventing him from falling.

He reached up as a smaller branch came into view, and was boosted up into the same nook of the tree that Jisung was now buried in.

“See, not so bad” Felix was distrusting of the tree, waiting for the moment that it would catapult him into the air, or poison him again. “As long as I’m here nothing will happen” He trusted Jisung however, and settled in next to him.

Up in the trees with the sun shining in the sky Felix could see for miles. He noticed just how far he had run during the night as there was no sight of the camp anywhere, only the green leaves and the tall tree which cradled HQ could be seen through the dense forest.

“What’s that, over there?” He was looking towards a sparsely covered area of the surroundings, a meadow of sorts. The most prominent feature was the hill that rose out of the ground at the end of a small lake, appearing to swallow the water that flowed into the cave-like opening inside. More rock structures littered the meadowgrass, a phenomenon like that of Stonehenge which Felix remembered seeing photos of as a boy.

“Most of the animals and creatures live that way, the lake sources the water to all the springs around the village so they protect it along with the Water Fae and Nymphs. Wouldn’t recommend going further than the lakeshore, the cave has some nasty features” Forgetting all about the market, Felix believed he’d found his new favourite place.

“We can visit later if you’d like” Felix grew giddy and nodded, but sat quietly and watched as Jisung continued with his tasks.

“What happened to it?” Felix traced a finger along a mark on the trunk, now noticing the smouldering, scarred bark that he couldn’t see from below. He felt a sort of sadness wash over him. It was as if, after he had become aware of the tree’s liveliness, he could now tell what the tree was feeling.  _ Great, I’m becoming a tree hugger. _

Despite the absurdity, he was slowly adjusting to the new world within his world. 

_ Or maybe my world is just a small part of theirs. _

Jisung pulled him out of his thoughts by grabbing his hand. 

“This one was hit by lightning, it struck off most of the foliage and left the tree scarred” Jisung lay Felix’s hand over a large burn mark and then placed his own hand on top. Felix confusedly watched Jisung smile widely and then close his eyes.

“What are you doing?” Jisung hushed him and focused, taking a deep breath. A few seconds passed, but then Felix began to feel a warmth rush through his skin. It didn’t burn, it was pleasant and he watched the same green smoke rising from where their hands covered the tree.

“Okay, take your hand away” Jisung stood up and allowed Felix to move his hand away.

“Did you just like...send magic through me?” Jisung’s eyes lit up, glad that Felix wasn’t averse to the feeling of magic conducting its way through him. The tree had somehow grown healthy in a matter of seconds which once may have sounded crazy, but now was something really intriguing. He supposed it was no different from how Minho healed him earlier.

“Show me more”.

-

The final task on Jisung’s list was the visit to the meadow, he saved it so that they could spend a little more time there and would be able to watch the sun setting. Felix knew there was more to the forest, but something told him nothing was going to be better than the meadow.

As the sun began to set, the water of the lake appeared as though it wasn’t water at all, but rather liquid gold. A breeze swept through the grass and spread the scent of flower patches and nectar.

The pair were currently sitting on top of the high hill, kicking their feet against the cliff edge while Felix tried to ignore how far up they were, not the biggest fan of heights. The clear golden water below was a mirror, and yet it was so easy to see through the glistening ripples to where fish and frogs swam. A few Water Fairies and Nymphs tended to the water plants, one of them seemed to know Jisung as he smiled and waved up at them.

“That’s Hyunjin. You can meet him properly later if you end up at our dinner table” As long as there were no more ‘Changbin’s’ Felix would happily meet anyone.

“Is that an invitation to sit at your table?” There was a teasing note in his voice. Over the course of the day, Felix had grown quite fond of the other. Even before the destruction of the outside world, he’d never met anyone kinder than Jisung and he’d not even known him for a full day. Felix had been kept in solitude for too long and thought he’d suppressed all of his personality and love for people and the world, but every minute he spent here seemed to bring it back in floods.

“Of course it is. Everyone’s gonna want to meet you, I bet the word spread quickly of your arrival” Felix had no clue what to make of that but figured he’d find out soon enough.

“What happens if the Nightmares, the people outside, come to find me? They know I’m here and I don’t want to risk your lives for mine” Jisung gazed off at the horizon line, the corners of his mouth lifting very slightly.

“The ‘Nightmares’ won’t get you here” Jisung pulled the sleeve of his shirt up, baring his skin. The same rune-like markings Felix had littered Jisung’s frame too. “I know you have them too, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. This forest is protected by spells, they keep dark magic out, and only the sun rune grants access. The things you call ‘Nightmares’ are Dark Fae, and because of their nature they are incapable of harnessing the sun rune’s magic”.

Felix had reverted back to silence, favouring it over the mess of questions threatening to spill from his lips. 

“Right, that’ll do for today. We’ll miss dinner if you don’t hurry up, even Hyunjin has left” Jisung helped him up and away from the cliff edge and they made their way to HQ, taking one last look at the fading sunlight. 

  
  



	5. A new start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely forgot to post this note at the end of chapter two. I thought you might like to know why I chose Nephosaea as the name of the little treetop village. From what I translated, Nephos comes from the name Nephele in Greek mythology which means cloud and Aea (aia) comes from the name Gaia who is essentially mother earth. So altogether it kinda means cloudland I think, I hope haha

With the sky darkening outside, the hall looked even more spectacular. Large torches were lit up along the walls, flaming with a lavender colour and casting a low light through the room, just enough that you could see your food and the people sat next to you.

Walking up to the table was the most daunting part even with Jisung walking next to him. Felix took a look around the table, noticing Minho and Chan already and who he believed was Hyunjin, difficult to tell since he’d seen him from about 50 feet in the air on top of the cliff. New faces were there too, and to Felix’s dismay so was Changbin. 

Jisung took a seat in between Minho and someone Felix hadn’t been introduced to, luckily for him, there was one seat beside Chan at the end of the table so he wasn’t opposed to sitting there. A few pairs of eyes followed his motions as he sat down, perhaps a little uneasy around the newcomer.

“Glad you could join us. Guys this is Felix” Some of them seemed to relax when hearing the leader talk, as though his trust was theirs. Although it wasn’t much the same in Changbin’s case. Felix smiled, hoping that by staying quiet and friendly the dinner would pass easily.

Someone had other ideas.

“So, Channie tells us you’re human. We’ve never had a human here before, I’m Hyunjin by the way” Hyunjin sat across from him and stretched out a hand for Felix to take. And just like that conversation started again with everyone else introducing themselves after Hyunjin had. Felix had met Hyunjin like Jisung said he would, as well as Jeongin. 

However, he almost choked on his spit when he looked at the next new face. For he was not a new face, the boy sitting next to Hyunjin was none other than the driver who got him out here in the first place.

“Y-you’re…” The boy smirked as a curious murmur fell upon the table, interested in the stuttering mess that was Felix.

“I’m Seungmin, it’s nice to meet you again under better circumstances than me telling you to get in the back of my van” Felix snorted a little at that, but kept a look of surprise plastered on his face. Oddly thankful that Seungmin wasn’t going to remain some mysterious guy who knew Felix’s location. “I was glad when Chan told us you’d made it, I’d started to think you had fallen in a trap”.

“I did, kind of. I thought I was dead meat when you found me at camp” There was one thing he was still curious about. “But you were with that guard, the one who shot at me, so why did you bring me here if you were with them?” He was suspicious, naturally, after all, he’d just made it away from the Nightmares and here was someone working in their ranks who could compromise his safety. 

“If you were 10 seconds later you would have been dead meat. As for where I stand I’m a spy. I work for Chan, but because of the type of elemental I am, it’s not uncommon for me to work with the dark fae. I use that position to gain information on their weaponry, plans etc.” 

“That means I’m safe here?” Nephosaea was growing on him and so were some of the people, he finally had some hope and didn’t want it crushed when the Nightmares stormed in and killed him for disobeying.

“You’re entirely safe here, we’re all safe as long as Chan is around and he’s not going anywhere, right?” Chan stayed quiet but nodded sincerely and Felix let the anxiety dissipate inside of himself.

Dinner was served and Felix was practically drooling over the choices, to some it may not have been anything special, but to him it was perfect. Compared to the slop he was forced to endure his way through before, the whole thing was beyond words, the best part being the company. Something about the situation made Felix feel at home. 

Felix hadn’t had a home for so long.

He could have cried but that may have freaked the others out a little, so he blinked back the tears and settled for enjoying the food and listening to the conversations that flitted from one thing to another.

-

He was so tired, emotion had filled his whole day and sapped his energy in the process. It was clear to see as he almost face-planted into his dessert because of his drowsiness. Minho tapped his shoulder, waking him up a little from his haze.

“I’ll show you to your room, you look like you might need it” He helped Felix to stand and let him say goodbye to everyone. Felix couldn’t have been more thankful for his evening, Changbin hadn’t spoken to him once which kept his mood at a steady positive. He didn’t want to act like this, but the other was rude and he wasn’t going to bother himself with that. 

“If it’s always like that I’d like to have dinner all the time” Felix knew he’d probably start talking nonsense till he got some sleep, but he was okay with that.

“You’re just lucky no fights broke out. Everyone was told to be on their best behaviour so you wouldn’t be scared off” Felix probably wouldn’t have cared much if they did, as long as it wasn’t anything to do with him of course.

They went down the stairs and Minho led him to the corridor he’d explained as the home base. They passed every door until they ended up in front of the last one, the same as all the other doors but with ‘ _ Felix _ ’ carved into the grain and painted gold sitting at about eye level.

“For me?” He pointed at himself, quite surprised he would be given his own room.

“All yours. You left your bag at the infirmary so I put it in the wardrobe for you” Minho opened the door with a small golden key that was slung on a green ribbon. Felix got the first look at his new room.

It was huge, a double bed sat in the centre with a wardrobe in the far left. Shelves laid bare, ready for Felix to place whatever he wanted on them and a flower hung from the ceiling, glowing from the inside. 

“It’s been charmed so that you can change the colours of everything as you please, but I think you’d better sleep before you pass out, that’s been almost two days now” Felix nodded sleepily, kicking his shoes off and sitting on the edge of the bed.

“If you need anything at all then come find me or one of the others. The doors are labelled to make it easier and all of us are on this floor” Minho went back to the door, not entirely sure of whether Felix was listening in his tired state.

“G’night Minho and thank you, for everything, all of you” His speech was slurred, but he wanted the other to know how much he appreciated what they’d done for him.

“Goodnight Felix, I’ll see you tomorrow” And with that he left the room, quietly closing the door as Felix settled. The lights dimmed automatically until there was nothing but comforting darkness and he drifted off to sleep.

-

The next day quite literally started with a bang. He was up in a panic at first, thinking it was the alarm back at camp and he had finally woken from the dream. 

He calmed his breathing when realising he was still in Nephosaea, he was still in the room he remembered falling asleep in. The only thing concerning him was the dulled noise that woke him.

He sluggishly got up and opened the door to have a look at what the source of the commotion was. Jeongin and Minho were walking towards him.

“Isn’t it too early for this?” He complained to them to show his presence.

“Hey Sleeping Beauty, I think you’ll find it’s about 11 already, ‘early’ was about 3 hours ago. We came to see what the noise was” Minho glanced at his dishevelled state. Felix read the name on the door and grimaced.  _ Of course, it had to be him. _

Minho knocked on the door and opened it without much notice.

Felix would have felt bad for laughing if it was anyone else, he couldn’t help himself. The sight of the other lying in a pile of bed sheets on the floor, trying to soothe the likely bruised arm he’d fallen on was almost worth being woken for.

Changbin glared at them, specifically him, while the other two burst out laughing.

“Out. Now” They retreated quickly as a pillow flew past their heads and closed the door.

“You’d probably do well to not bring that up, ever” Jeongin’s eyes were a weird mix of joking and complete seriousness.

“Forgetting that, are you ready for another day?” Felix thought he’d have a hard time forgetting it, but nodded his affirmance.

“Perfect, Channie wanted to see you in his quarters about something after you’ve eaten. There are more sets of clothes in your room too, if you need them. I'll let him know you’re up” Jeongin smiled and left, followed by Minho and Felix went back to his room to get ready.

-

Breakfast wasn’t a top priority, so he went straight to see Chan. Walking up to the private room seemed like trespassing, but Felix knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it.

“Come in!” Chan’s voice was muffled by the door, but Felix heard clear enough and stepped in the room.

“Hey, Jeongin said you wanted to see me” Chan was sitting behind a desk surrounded by neatly stacked piles of items.

“Take a seat, I just wanted to talk to you about something” Felix moved into the room hesitantly and slowly sat down in the chair. Upon noticing his worried expression, Chan immediately reassured him.

“It’s nothing bad, I just wanted to know if  _ you _ were completely okay staying here. I know the others are excited about having you here but we understand if you have other plans or wanted to head somewhere else” Felix had nothing waiting for him outside of the forest, even if he did something about this place had offered him more in the last day than he’d received in many years. He didn’t want to leave.

“No! I mean yes, I want to stay here. I think this place is growing on me and I have no issues being here, as long as I’m allowed to”.

“I’m glad no one has sent you running yet. Now, with that out the road, I think we should find you something to do so you don’t have to spend all your time doing nothing. How do you feel about training?” Felix considered his words, it made sense that he did something while he was here, but surely something more practical would be more useful to them.

“Why training? I’m not opposed to it but since you’re letting me stay here I’d feel bad for not doing something useful”.

“It would be useful. Nearly everyone here receives training of some kind that doesn’t have any relation to their magic. The dark fae are a strong force and they rely on their magic to gain power, but forget that magic can’t always save them. We wouldn’t make you fight, it’s more for your protection” Felix could understand this, but still failed to see how it would be useful. He didn’t have time to ask before the other was opening desk drawers and cupboards open.

“I have a few things you might like” He took out two small daggers, steel coloured blades, one with a green handgrip the other dark blue. “These are enchanted with magic, the blue one can slow the approach of dark magic from about a foot away from you, almost like a forcefield, helps you get more time to think. The green one has healing powers for the holder, it’s mild but it helps. They can also be used as a simple dagger too in close combat” Felix wasn’t sure about the aggressive nature. 

Chan searched around another time before placing a silver bow in Felix’s vision. He was strangely drawn to it despite never using a bow before. It was intricately designed and seemed to glow slightly in the dim room. His intrigue must have been obvious for Chan handed it to him.

The bow was lighter than expected and it seemed to thrum with a power that only went noticed when held.

“It’s quite a nice creation, most of it is light magic, makes it stronger, with a few spells that increase accuracy and make it lighter so the user can easily lift it. I made it, with the help of Minho of course” Felix was in awe, it was rather beautiful and it seemed to click with him instantly unlike the daggers.

“I can’t use a bow though, and I don’t know if I could do combat” Felix had witnessed a lot of death already, he wasn’t sure if he could be the cause of another’s death. 

“You’ll need the training at some point anyway, it can be useful. There’s no guarantee you’ll need to use this and we can also train you in other things that aren’t quite as intense. So what do you think?”. 

“I’ll do it, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to feel more capable against what’s out there and the training might help with that” Felix promised himself to only use what he learnt in training if he was in a life-threatening situation. He didn’t want to be like the Nightmares.

_ I’m definitely going to embarrass myself when I try to fire this bow, aren’t I? _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will probably be less frequent from now, but I'm enjoying writing this more than the original so I definitely want to keep this up. Thanks for reading


	6. Close Encounters of the Lion Kind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me a while to write this as I was struggling to find a plot, hopefully you like it. There's a lot of dialogue in here, like a LOT so forgive me for that, but you finally get some answers!

Chan took Felix to one of the two training rooms. The room was completely void of things and Felix wondered why it would be called a training room if there was so little to train with. His question was answered when Chan pressed the pad of his thumb against a scanner on a screen to the left of the door they walked in. The panels lining the left wall of the room flipped to reveal rows upon rows of equipment.

“Come here a second” Chan beckoned him over to the screen. “I figured that you’d probably use this room for the next while, so I’ll make sure you can access and use it. Now, if you press your thumb on the scanner it’ll let me add you to the buildings databases so you’ll be able to access here, the library and the greenhouses” Felix did just that and let Chan authorize his access.

“Each panel has a different combat weapon or training device, so you have everything from knives to guns and then other forms of self-defence such as martial arts. Basically anything you need for whatever type of training you want to work on. Since you already have something to use, I figured we could set up some stationary targets till you get the hang of using the bow” Felix nodded and followed the leader to one of the wall panels that had different sized targets and different heights of stands to set them on.

“Set them up randomly around the room, each has to be angled to face roughly where the centre is but it doesn’t matter about the position” Felix grabbed one of the targets and placed it on the other side of the room, angles to face the centre like told. The pair continued doing this until the targets surrounded them from all sides.

“If you think I’ll be able to hit all of these then you’ll be sorely mistaken” Felix had never once fired an arrow and now it looked like he was expected to hit every single target.

“Don’t focus on them all for the moment, I’ll give you an arm guard and a quiver so you can practice slinging the arrows first” The other handed Felix a matching quiver complete with a set of arrows, silver and delicate like the bow, with white fletching feathers at the ends.

“Try holding the bow and decide which arm it feels more comfortable in, usually your dominant hand will be the one pulling the string” Felix shifted the weight of the bow in his hands a little testing to see what felt comfortable, deciding on holding it in his left hand. Chan then handed him a left-handed arm guard and told him to try placing an arrow on the string.

Aside from it not staying still against the side of the bow, Felix found it simple enough to string the arrow onto the nocking point. He was then asked to practice reaching back for an arrow from the quiver until it became quicker and more natural.

“Okay, that seems good. Now I think we should try actually shooting. So if you look at the target about 9 metres away, raise the bow and relax your arms and shoulders” Chan walked around his frame to check his stance and correct his grip.

“Now pull back on the string with your index, middle and ring fingers with the string resting against your first knuckle. Use the corner of your mouth as an anchor point and aim the tip of the arrow at the target. Release it when ready” Felix took a breath and tried to un-tense his shoulders before letting the string go and sending the arrow flying forwards. His arrow just missed the target and flew off underneath the board.

“Not so bad, I think your bow arm might have dipped a little as you released the arrow but other than that it was pretty strong” For a first time shot Felix had to agree that it was pretty good, even if he missed.

They continued like that, with Chan getting Felix to start aiming at other targets around the room, not caring if they hit or miss. Something was liberating about learning a new skill, something that was practical rather than what he would do at the storage unit. 

“Can we take a break, my hands are starting to blister?” His hands felt raw and inflamed from where he was holding the string.

“Sure, I suppose now would be a good time for questions. Y’know, if you had anything you wanted to ask”. 

_ Finally.  _ He wanted to know so much, about his old camp and Nephosaea, about how these people had survived and remained hidden from the Nightmares, about why they let him stay.

“How long have you been here?”.

“Well, our originals settled here around 400 years ago” Felix felt his eyes widen, it’s not like he grew up in this part of the kingdom, but surely people would have discovered them at some point and the word would travel. “But I’m 23 and I’ve lived here all my life like most others here currently, except for the few who joined us from other villages and cities” That was a surprise to Felix.

“There are more of you...I suppose that makes sense considering the Nightmares are a large force themselves, but why wouldn't places like Nephosaea be more obvious? I mean this place is like nothing I’ve ever seen before and I’d know it was different if I saw it, even before the Nightmares took over”.

“That’s why runes are so important, the tattoos are the only reason you could enter the forest. The sun rune keeps dark magic out but when we create our villages and cities we usually disguise them from prying eyes, the other runes allow us to access our masked areas. One of your runes was given to you so that you could enter Nephosaea without difficulty, even if you didn’t know it at the time of receiving it” Felix remembered Jisung telling him about the runes. “The people who stayed in the camp you were at, the ones who gave you the runes, were fairies and nymphs who lived here. We knew we needed to discreetly protect what was left of the humans in our regions in the hopes that they would do exactly what you did and somehow find their way to us. The leaders of other villages agreed to do the same and so we all sent our forces into the camps”.

“All this time and we never knew any better...I always liked getting the tattoos, I never knew what they meant. After my family was taken from me I guess the pain was grounding, and I liked seeing them and giving them my own meaning. So even when I had to hide them from the Nightmares I still knew they were there and still felt like they were doing something. I suppose they were doing something after all” Silence fell, but it wasn’t awkward, more contemplative and it allowed Felix time to comprehend what Chan was telling him. He had more questions to ask and his mind buzzed with words.

“So you’re a light fairy, Jisung’s a forest fairy, Hyunjin is a water fairy or nymph, but what about the others. Seungmin mentioned he was able to be trusted by the dark fae, how does that work?”.

“Seungmin is a fire fairy, they often work in close ranks with the dark fae, similarly to how the forest and water fae work together. They can be stronger forces when they work together, and I always trusted Seungmin to be able to stay safe while also carrying out that duty. Jeongin is a kitsune, full of tricks, although he’s still young which means he has a lot more to learn about his abilities, god forbid that day ever comes. I met him 3 years ago when I traveled to the next village to see the leader, he was alone and had lost his family to the dark fae, much like you. Minho is a witch, capable of healing, cursing, protecting, you name it and you’re right about Hyunjin, he’s a water nymph” Only tales and children’s stories had prepared him for a situation like the one he was in. Many people dream of a world with more than just their boring every day and when told it was actually true, when seeing it for the first time, Felix was more and more surprised with each passing moment.

“What about Ch-” Just as Felix was about to ask for more answers, Jeongin had run into the room with an air of urgency around him. Without speaking a word, Chan seemed to know his presence was needed and stood up to leave.

“I believe I have something to deal with. You did good today, I’m more than impressed. Feel free to continue or you’re more than welcome to walk around and have some free time” Felix nodded, not feeling the need to say much else and watched the leader follow after Jeongin. 

Deciding he’d had enough training for the day, Felix walked back to the entrance hall. No one seemed to be milling around, most likely out in the woods using magic that Felix couldn’t do much to help with. He was only now realising how much time he would have to fill when not accompanying someone or training.

_ Library it is then. _

Without thinking much else about where to go, the library sounded like a good plan. He could busy himself in a book, a pastime that he didn’t consider a luxury until that moment.

He walked across the hall and through the archway of the library. The room was circular and there was a staircase that went four floors up with each floor opening up the room further, making it appear like a colosseum. The walls of each floor were lined with millions of books and cosy couches with coffee tables were littered around the room, the roof was a skylight that looked out to the leaves and branches above. 

Felix hardly knew where to start looking, he didn’t get to read while in the camp, and now with so much choice it was a little overwhelming. He made his way to the nearest bookshelf and browsed his way along till he stopped in front of a book with a brown, leather-bound spine and slid it off the shelf. It was like any ordinary book aside from the small, flowering vines growing up the side, titled “Water-dwellers”. Felix opened it to a random page and discovered it was a sort of guide to water plants, a miniature version of the plant on the page he’d opened the book to was growing right out of that same page.

He closed it gently and decided to take it to the greenhouses to see if he could identify some of the plants in the book.  _ It’ll kill some time.  _

The Spring to Summer greenhouse sounded more appealing so he took the stairs on the left and pushed open the glass door. The heat poured out of the room and warmed his chilled skin, it was like stepping into another world, a world filled with more colours than he knew were even possible. A pond lay in the centre, glittering in the sunlight and filled with plants of all shapes and sizes. Small fish darted from left to right, flashing blue then pink as they flitted around in the crystal clear water and mossy stepping stones created a path for Felix to walk across to where a small bench sat on the opposite side. He took a seat staring out across the expanse of greenery, reopened the book on his lap and startled when he saw movement out the corner of his eyes.

Something large was moving around in the thicket of plants adorning the room and Felix felt his heart pound as he turned to see a large, sandy white lion, asleep amongst the lush foliage.

  
  



	7. Oxygen is overrated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while, I'm not super proud but I hope it's worth reading

Felix would have gasped, would have screamed the whole building down and shattered the glass of the greenhouses in the process, but he was terrified of waking the beast. He watched as it’s steady but heavy breaths shook the leaves around it and stepped back cautiously. Unfortunately, Felix misjudged his distance from the pond and moved back just a little too far, slipping on the edge and splashing into the water while scaring off all the fish below.

The cold of the water shocked him and the air escaped his lungs, momentarily paralysing him under the water. Regaining his sensibilities to swim up, Felix began kicking his legs to breach the surface of the water. 

The stone ledge of the pond was in reach and he pulled himself over it. The oxygen wasn’t fully making its way to his lungs, halted by the cold shock to the system and worsted by the sight that greeted him once he wiped his eyes dry.

He couldn’t move nor think for that matter, he was staring straight into the eyes of the lion. His heart was threatening to hammer to the point that it stopped beating altogether and he felt his body go into a further state of shock. Not being able to take the cold or the sight of such a large creature, Felix gave in to the darkness that was slowly consuming his vision.

-

The bright lights blurred as Felix opened his eyes, and just like that he was back in the medical ward only a day after the last time.

He heard a door click shut as he adjusted his vision to the surroundings.

“That’s the last time you go jumping into the pond, huh? At least wear the right clothing for it next time” Minho walked up to him and sat on the edge of the bed, holding out a small vial of something and a blanket for Felix. “Here, you were still cold when I last checked so I thought you might benefit from this” Felix took the vial hesitantly.

“What is it?” It was a curious colour, deep red which made it appear more like blood. Felix popped the stopper off the neck of the vial and felt the heat rise from within.

“It’s nothing weird, it’ll just help you warm up a little” Minho motioned for him to try it. There wasn’t anything interesting to it flavour-wise it was quite like water in taste and viscosity. Felix shivered as he felt a wave of heat wash over him, much like when he first stepped into the greenhouse.

_ The greenhouse! _

An image flashed before his eyes and caught his breath a second time.

“What...I-” White fur, pure muscle and blazing eyes graced his memories and he felt a panic rising inside him. Minho seemed to sense this. “It’s going to sound crazy, and I honestly can’t believe it myself, but Minho...I swear there’s a lion around here. A large one. You must have seen it, someone must have if they found me at the pond. I thought I was imagining it but that’s twice I’ve seen it now and-” 

“Felix, calm down, take a deep breath and lie back down for a second” Felix allowed himself to be interrupted as his long spiel of words was only causing him to panic more. He took a shaky breath and fell back against the headboard.

“I know you’re in a state of shock right now, perhaps we should have told you this before but I guess we’ve been busy getting you settled in” Felix leaned forward again, eager to hear the boy’s next words and hoping that he wasn’t sounding lame talking about the lion. “I can understand that it must have been terrifying to see him, you don’t need to be scared. He’s one of us, the lion I mean, he’s a hybrid as in part human and part mythic. I can’t believe no one got around to telling you” Minho looked slightly frustrated, but Felix was just glad he wasn’t currently dead after being eaten alive. There was something weird about knowing that a huge lion was free to walk around, unsettling, but at least now he knew he wasn’t hallucinating.

“It’s okay, I know now, maybe slightly too late but at least I only fainted right?” Felix tried to laugh it off, there was no harm done but the other seemed a little upset that someone had been put in danger.

“But if you had known then it wouldn’t have happened at all. What if your reaction was worse than just fainting? How could you be okay with us putting you through that?” Minho was worrying and Felix wasn’t going to sit there and allow him to do so. 

“Look, I’m still here, sure, something could have happened but it didn’t. I told you before I’m not that weak” That seemed to get a smile out of the other.

“Yet you somehow managed to find your way back here in just over 24 hours”.

“I just fancied paying you a visit that’s all” And a laugh. “Anyway, I have a question about the lion. You said he’s part human, so…who is he?” Minho stilled a little after Felix asked the question, seemingly unsure of whether to tell him or not. Felix was just curious though, surely he deserved to know after this person caused him so much trouble.

“...It’s Changbin” A contemplative silence fell.

_ Oh Fuck. _

It took Felix a full minute to realise what Minho had said and the moment that it registered it hit him that two nights ago, Felix had run straight into Changbin’s ass and now he’d embarrassed himself further by falling into the pond. He was mortified. No wonder the other seemed to hate him.

“You’re...you're joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking, because I’ve severely humiliated myself and I don’t know where to go from here” Minho was laughing at his reaction and Felix knew he would laugh more if he found out about his first encounter with the lion, with Changbin.

“I’m not joking, but I’m sure that falling in the pond isn’t the worst thing ever. You’ll be fine” Felix begged to differ, but dropped the topic and resumed his inner torment instead.

_ As long as I never see him again. _

Wishful thinking. Because there was Changbin, standing at the door to the medical ward looking slightly stunned at Felix’s very much awakeness. Not as stunned, however, as Felix was himself. He was conflicted whether to laugh hysterically or sob, after all his day just seemed to present him with more and more and he was growing tired of it slowly. He turned around to face the opposite direction of the boy who had just walked through the door and was now slowly approaching.

“He’s awake” It was blunt and very obvious.

_ Nice one.  _ Felix turned back towards the other and crossed his arms over his chest.

“ _ He’s  _ also in the room and can hear you” Felix had no idea what purpose being snarky had, but he wasn’t going to sit there and allow himself to be talked about without saying something. “Why are you here?” It wasn’t meant to come across as rude but it was like Felix had put up a defensive wall to help deal with the awkwardness of the situation.

“I came to check up on  _ you _ ” That caught him off-guard. It was rather unlike the other, from what Felix had seen of him so far, to care about doing something like that. Especially when it concerned the likes of Felix.

“Me? But you hate me”.

“...I don’t hate you, I just don’t trust you. Chan seems to, however, and that is the only reason that you aren’t dead yet”  _ That was cold. _ Felix didn’t appreciate hearing any of that, it was isolating, a reminder that he didn’t belong here.

“...Yeah, thanks for letting me know. If I’m that much of a burden then you should have just killed me when you had the chance. Wouldn’t have mattered much to me” Felix didn’t know what he was saying at this point, all he could feel was anger. 

“Enough! Changbin, get out. You’re not helping here” Changbin left with a huff, slamming the door behind him. Minho turned to Felix.”As for you, I don’t know what the fuck that was but I think you need to work it out. You’re not a burden either, we took you in and we wouldn’t have done that if we weren’t sure. I guess something happened between you two and I hope you can fix it, for your own sake”.

“I don’t understand why he doesn’t like me. I mean our first encounter was weird but I had no idea it was a hybrid so surely that’s forgivable. At first, I thought it was because you left him to deal with me yesterday and he didn’t want to be bothered, but I guess I’ve done something wrong” Changbin’s actions were questionable and although it seemed to be more of a  _ him _ problem rather than something Felix had done, he couldn’t help but feel guilty about it.

“He doesn’t hate you, I promise you that. Just find some time to speak to him, he’ll come around” Minho left him with those parting words, letting him know that he was free to go.

Felix began a slow walk to the entrance hall. The light of the sun was fading behind the thick line of trees blanketing the area and Felix decided he fancied a stroll through the woods more than he fancied facing everyone in the dining hall.

He practically rolled down the stairs of the hollowed tree in an attempt to reach the fresh air outside. It was quite dark now but the light of the fireflies was glowing pink again and a trail of luminous mushrooms and toadstools lined the trees and paths surrounding the village. He didn’t want to go far for fear of being left alone in the dark but the hazy glow followed him a fair distance down one of the paths that he wasn’t too familiar with. There was a small stream winding its way through the mossy floor beside him and Felix felt like following it to its source.

It wasn’t long before he heard a stronger rush of water and spotted a fairy pond situated below a small waterfall. Lanterns were hung from the trees and lit automatically as Felix approached, a soft, warm light dancing across the clear water. Nephosaea continuously surprised him, it was easy amongst all the beauty of the forest and the chaos of those in it to forget about how bad his life had been. The people here made it seem like life was normal again like there was something to be happy about and it made Felix upset. 

His family weren’t here to witness the hope that had been brought to him during his short stay, they weren’t here anymore. Tears welled in his eyes and his chest felt constricted. Away from the noise and distractions in the village, things were beginning to catch up to Felix, reminding him of what he’d suffered.

Under the light of the moon, Felix let go of everything he had bottled up over the years. Everything he stopped himself from feeling and the memories he had numbed to the point that there was almost nothing to recall resurfaced. Finally, unaware of the watchful eyes, Felix was able to show his grief.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lil bit emotional there. There was a lot of dialogue here so sorry for that, the dialogue is hard to write, never do it. Ever.


	8. Making amends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took a while to write. I made it a lil bit longer than usual to make up for it though, didn't realise id written 5 and a bit pages till I stopped. Enjoy!

He prowled around the forest, on the watch for any threats or hints of dark magic. He liked the quiet of the night, it was different from the day and the bustling of the other elementals who managed to scatter themselves around as they went about their errands. Plus, no one was there to point at him or gawk as he took the form of his hybrid. But for the first time in a long time, someone else was out here with him.

He watched the lanterns light one by one and was obligated to check out the potential danger, but there was no danger.

In fact, he wished he had left it alone altogether instead of witnessing the vulnerable boy by the waterside. Despite wanting to console the boy, he knew his presence would be unwelcomed and so he lurked his way back to the village. 

-

Felix had now spent a week in Nephosaea, training, reading, watching. He was getting really good with the bow and loved waking up to go straight to the training rooms. Jeongin had met him to train a few times, along with Chan and today was no different.

“I was thinking of trying something different today if you’re up for it?” The three of them walked from breakfast to the other training room, which they hadn’t used yet, to find the room full of others sparring. “I was thinking we could work more on hand-to-hand and close combat, it might be a skill worth learning in case you find your bow out of reach. Have you had any experience in either?”.

“I have a black belt in taekwondo” Something like surprise flickered across their faces.  _ Ouch.  _ “I’m not that weak looking, right?”.

“No, it’s not like that at all. I just would have thought that learning defence or combat would be rather difficult with the Dark fae around” Jeongin answered first as the leader scrambled to find words. 

“I learned before that time, and just practised in secret in case I ever needed to defend myself” Felix was watching on as the other pairs and groups in the much larger training room sparred.

“It’s good though, that you have experience, it means that you can move straight into sparring and we could also start teaching you how to use weapons in hand-to-hand” Felix nodded along, he was excited to show them something he was good at and although it had been a while since he’d practised with an actual opponent, he was ready to start again.

“Do you mind having Jeongin as your partner? That way I’ll be able to see your techniques and assess your judgements” They moved towards a spare area of the training mat and Felix positioned himself opposite Jeongin. Felix liked to think he was pretty good at Taekwondo, especially for a black belt and was ready to see how he’d fare against someone who possessed magical abilities. He took a moment to relax and analyse his partner. Felix didn’t know an awful lot about Kitsune’s and their supposed powers, but he knew how to use someone’s own power in his favour and hoped that he’d be able to deflect and unbalance the other. 

“You don’t need to stick to a specific martial art or combat sequence, all I want you to do is unbalance each other, block an advance or cause the other to time out” He and Jeongin nodded in confirmation, taking their stances and on Chan’s signal to start Felix began pacing slowly around the other, preparing himself for an attack.

Felix stared right into the boy’s eyes and observed them glint an amber colour as he smirked, catching Felix off-guard. Jeongin used this to his advantage and advanced on Felix who was still expecting enough of an attack to remain in a strong stance as the other pounced on him. They grappled and at some point ended on the ground, out of breath, neither of them winning with both of them having put up a good fight. 

Chan held a hand out to the pair and yanked them to their feet. “Nice work, both of you. I’m impressed that Jeongin didn’t put you off too much, there are a few people in this room that are easily tricked when they’re up against him” Glancing around the room, Felix would have struggled to believe that he was any better than the others considering the amount of skill that could be observed in the other groups. It was like watching something in slow motion as the opponents ducked and dodged out the way of training knives, daggers, swords, fists. More impressively was the spells and magic that went soaring through the air all around in the form of different colours and shapes. Felix would be lying if he said he wasn’t even a little bit jealous, the truth was that as much as he loved this new world he also wanted to be a part of it.

“Your reactions were sharp, even when Innie tried to throw you off. I’d maybe watch your stance sometimes, if someone swung at you and you needed to evade an attack then a shaky stance could unbalance you” Felix agreed, but put it down to the lack of practice over the years. He was prepared to continue learning though.

“Ready to go again?”.

-

On Chan’s request, a few of the other people training had joined their little group of three allowing Felix to practice defending himself against multiple others. He refused the use of weaponry, however, the bow being enough of a violent thing. It seemed to Felix that he’d seen enough death and pain to feel entirely comfortable using weapons and he didn’t want to learn if it meant the possibility of using the techniques one day against someone.

“Okay let’s wrap it up and head to the lake” Chan exclaimed this to the whole room, his suggestion earning excited chattering from the others in the room. Felix had no idea what was going on but felt his arm being dragged by Jeongin as the room cleared.

_ What’s going on at the lake? _

There was no time for this question to be answered as the thrum of magical beings forced their way from the little room into the entrance hall where it seemed every other villager had got the same memo for the room was crowded with people heading out to the treetops.

Felix never imagined his first experience with extreme heights would involve trying to keep his balance on large rocks, supported hundreds of feet in the air, as Jeongin ran with his arm in his grip. He’d never known anything so terrifying, yet the crowds of village folk did it with ease and hardly flinched at the knowledge of possibly falling.

The airborne stepping stones seemed to disappear further ahead and in Felix’s limited view of what was happening, the people ahead seemed to be just dropping off the edge. As they approached the end he could feel himself attempting to break free of Jeongin’s grip to avoid freefalling.

The other turned to him as they ran and smiled reassuringly. “Just trust me” And with that they dropped straight off the last stone into the abyss of branches below. Felix heard himself shriek in terror as they fell a few feet only to feel his weight being lifted into the air again and carried forward.

He looked down. Nothing.

_ Nothing, how can there be nothing!  _ His heart raced, surprising since he thought it had been left behind with his stomach when they dropped off the stone walkway. The stones weren’t beneath his feet anymore yet he was running through the air like there was a physical surface to stand on. And they were going fast, much too fast for a normal pace of sprinting with the force of something pushing them on further.

People all around him were still racing towards the meadow, carried forward by invisible forces and streaking past as though they had some superhuman ability.

“It’s the breeze, the air fae and nymphs can use it to transport people and objects. Useful when you need to get somewhere quickly. It works kind of like a wind tunnel” Considering the number of strange and fascinating occurrences he’d bared witness to recently there wasn’t much to question, this was the most surprising of the lot though.

The reason why Felix was currently being carried forward like a leaf in a breeze was still rather unknown to him like everyone was privy to something that he wasn’t aware of.

“Hey Innie, Lix” Jisung had appeared beside them followed by the other boys that Felix had become familiar with and Changbin. They broke the final line of trees and Felix got a clear view of the meadow. As beautiful as it looked from the ground, nothing could beat the sea of colour that could be seen from above.

A few people were already standing at the shore of the lake, most were already in the water.

“What  _ is _ all of this?” Felix sprung the question again in the hopes that one of the newcomers would be able to shed a light on the situation.

“Free time, usually once a week I’ll let everyone off their work in the afternoon. It’s normal for us to come here and just spend time in the meadow, it’s better for our division to be able to work together and spend time together as it creates more trust. I had a feeling that you would have refused to come along so I didn’t want to tell you, sorry for the scare” Chan smiled brightly at Felix, he was quite right too. It was likely that Felix would have believed he didn’t belong entirely with them and outright refused to come along. But he was here now.

As the wind carried them above the lake, it became more apparent that they were still high in the air and weren’t any closer to the ground than when first carried into the clearing. 

Choruses of “ _ Hold your breath”  _ and  _ “Here we go”  _ sounded from the boys next to him and Felix realised that the water had risen up to create streams branching from the end of the air current and was creating a sort of slide into the lake below, defeating his understanding of surface tension. The steepness of the transport into the depths made his stomach lurch once again but the hollering of the others who were following after him or on other slides made him break into laughter as they were thrown into the lake.

It was surprisingly warm and as clear as the day Felix first saw it. Looking up at the sky he had just fallen out of, it was weird to see all the people moving easily through the air like they were on an invisible conveyer belt. People were swimming to the shoreline, to sit on the grass and dry off or were swimming around, using their magic to entertain others.

Being one of the water fae, Hyunjin had begun creating jets of water and was sending them towards other people, Felix only realised this when he was hit squarely in the face by one. In retaliation, he sent a wave of water towards him, hoping to hit the other. This backfired when Hyunjin sent it back his way and Felix decided it was not going to be a fair fight to pick.

He was glad Chan had just forced him into going rather than tell him what was happening, Felix hadn’t known fun like this in a long time.

His body was rising unexpectedly out of the water. Hyunjin had somehow created bubbles that were able to hold their shape above the water and support the weight of those sitting atop of them while allowing the user to control its movement. Almost like a game of bumper cars, people were now attempting to roll forwards on their spherical forms of transport in order to hit unsuspecting victims and send them flying into the lake.

-

The day was growing older and Felix had left the water long ago to dry off in order to watch the sunset from the top of the hill belonging to the cave, as he’d done with Jisung before. The people below were still splashing around in the water, free from the weight of errands.

The sky bled with reds and purples this time and he watched clouds of fireflies flicker on and off as they circled the meadow. He failed to notice the person walking up the hill to meet him until they had sat down beside him.

Felix startled a little as he turned to discover Changbin staring out across the view.

“I’m not planning an attack on you all up here by myself, if that’s why you’re here” There was no bite to his words this time, Felix had gotten over their difference and was trying his best to ignore the other most of the time. The stagnant air surrounding them demanded attention though and he began picking at the grass in front of his crossed legs just to have something to fiddle with.

“I’m sorry” His actions ceased. The ground was baring the grunt of Felix’s confused glaring as he struggled to make sense of the two simple words. But they weren’t that simple, were they, the pair had been at odds since they first met despite not really having a reason for it.

“For what?” Changbin looked like he was carefully picking out his next words.

“For accusing you and being hostile. I didn’t trust you all that much, but that’s no reason to be unreasonable, so...I’m sorry” Felix nodded slowly.

“Can we agree to be civil? I don’t want to fight, I’ve had enough of feeling alienated and I don’t need any more from anyone else” Only the voices of people below could be heard and a slight breeze danced across his skin as they both stared out over the clearing.

Changbin reached a hand out, signalling his agreeance so Felix took it, sealing their deal. 

_ Another pause. What is this so awkward? _

“A few nights ago, by the pond, I saw the lanterns turn on while I was watching over the village” Felix didn’t want to stick around to hear where this conversation was going, he knew what Changbin was referencing and stood up to leave.

_ Hell if I’m gonna sit and listen to this. _

“Wait, please. I just want you to know that you shouldn’t have listened to anything I’d said that day. I was being stupid and didn’t consider what I was saying, I just wanted to clear that up as well” He stopped but avoided turning around.

“That wasn’t the reason, sure you made me mad and it prompted other thoughts, but it wasn’t your fault. That night was long overdue so don’t think about it too much” Felix continued down the hill after saying his piece, not turning to see if the other had something else to say. 

He wasn’t ready to share all of his past with anyone yet and wanted to leave the conversation behind before it had the chance to evolve.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of elemental magic, this was where my love of Avatar the last airbender comes in useful. The sphere of water was meant to be the water version of an air scooter that Aang created btw. Let me know if you enjoyed it or if you have questions or thoughts about this story so far, Your feedback will be much appreciated :D


	9. Catching Whispers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really tired out from the cold that I've caught recently so writing this took me a while as I did most of it tonight. I really hope it's worth it and that my sleep-deprived brain hasn't made up nonsense hehe xx

Outside of their little haven something of a storm was brewing, after news of someone's escape from the Nightmares had travelled with a little help from the fae and mythics secretly working against the dark fae, others had dared to make their escape too. Many camps were dealing with uprisings and others were tightening their restrictive behaviours to breed fear and prevent their workers from escaping. 

Seungmin had made his weekly trip to the camp to deliver more weapons. It was a necessary evil if he were to gain information and trust from them in his short visits and allowed him to access the types of weaponry the Dark fae were using in order to report back to Chan.

Hushed whispers could be heard from around the corner as two guards approached the place he stood. They nodded at him, acknowledging his presence.

“Ah-ha, new shipments!” The guards seemed excited, Seungmin could guess why for the boxes in his van held a new calibre of weapon that harnessed the dark fae power. A type of large-bladed sword that glowed black and was surrounded by black smoke, capable of dealing fatal blows and when used at far-reach the magic could be sent to blind the victim with a thick black fog. 

“These will come in useful soon” The guards were admiring one of the blades, trialling its weight and force. Seungmin could guess they were dark fae as opposed to human guards as they weren’t fearful of the magic like he’d seen in some of the humans. 

“Do you have the other items ready to send to Dusk Camp?”.

“All ready, we were requested to tell you to add Shadow Camp to your list of stops too. We have things for them too that are needed before next week. Things are going to be changing for these little humans in a matter of months and hopefully, we’ll catch some of our wonderful  _ neighbours _ in the process” They laughed menacingly and began unloading their shipments from his van to make space for the new weapon boxes.

Seungmin considered this urgent information, the dark fae seemed to be planning something big and he could only assume they were going to come for the other fae and mythics. Not to mention they were targeting the humans too.

_ I need to tell Chan. _

-

Felix was strolling around HQ, biding his time until dinner when he was going to attempt to request a purpose for his time in the village. He was growing a little bored of walking around and not getting to be a bigger part of whatever operation was going on.

Upon arriving at the top of the staircases in the entrance hall he hung his arms over the wooden bannister and stared out at the few people moving around below. Rushed voices were coming from underneath the balcony and no sooner after hearing them did he witness Seungmin and Chan walking rather quickly to one of the archways. This archway, however, had a door, much unlike the arches to the other corridors and treetop walks in the hall. And this doorway was  _ begging  _ to be opened, even more so because of the secrets that were surely being discussed behind it. Minorly aware of how much his curiosity was becoming a danger to himself.

Felix waited a moment to make sure that no one else was going in that direction before following silently. He thanked whoever was looking out for him that the door wasn’t creaky and would therefore not compromise his position.

It was dark as he closed the door behind him and something was telling him he shouldn’t be here, something that sounded suspiciously like Minho’s voice, but he had come here anyway. A faint flickering glow was moving down a set of spiral steps, keeping his tread light, Felix followed close enough to see where he was stepping and to not get caught.

The steps went down and down further and he was pretty sure that there was no part of the building that seemed to go this far down when looked at from the outside, but he had made it to the bottom at last. There was a far stretch of corridor in front of him, visible only by the light of a torch carried by one of the boys further ahead. He stayed well back this time, not particularly wanting to be caught in a place that he probably wasn’t allowed in.

The cobblestone lining of the cave-like walk was dangerously echoey, one simple trip or kick of a pebble would have the pair in front alerted for sure. Felix fell further back into the darkness and pushed forward until met with what looked like a room similar to the library on the opposite side of the entrance hall.

_ But why’s it hidden if it’s a library? _

A pale blue light filtered through the roof, casting a pattern below like that of sunlight shining through water. When he raised his eyes skyward the glass ceiling gave a distorted view of the outside and Felix supposed that they really were under a body of water.

_ Most likely the little pond I visited.  _ That seemed a rational thought when he considered the general direction he’d walked in to get here.

More voices were descending upon him, he needed to hide somewhere. The bookshelves of this library were tall and circled a round table in the centre of the room in rings, only to break at the entrance they came in and again on the other side of the room where it seemed to lead to another room. He settled himself behind the first ring of shelves, far enough around to not be seen by those walking in.

Soon, Minho, Jisung, Hyunjin, Jeongin and Changbin had joined the leader and Seungmin around the table in the centre. The faint light in the room gave them a sinister appearance, unlike anything Felix had seen from them previously, not to mention their serious expressions which further added to their image.

“Seungmin has told me of a possible threat to us and maybe the other villages as he went about delivering for the dark fae. They have new weapons, stronger than the lightning guns that he had seen used on Felix when aiding the escape from our neighbouring camp” Felix felt his ears prick at the mention of his name. “Their ability to use light weapons is still a mystery, but the new weapons are full of dark magic, more dangerous in their capable hands. In saying this, we’ve been working on the making defence devices powered by light magic to get them to the best standard to use and ensuring that those who are trained are given weapons that suit their skills” Felix was curious as to why he received the bow if what Chan was saying was true, that the bow he received was suited for him.

“There have been a small number of escapees joining us, I will try what I can to ensure they are both safe and well-trained if possible before the threat of an attack presents itself” Felix reckoned he’d seen some new faces around, being guided by the elementals and mythics he hadn’t become so familiar with. He wasn’t the only human around any more.

“How long d’you reckon we have to plan?” Minho enquired from somewhere in the room, Felix was finding it rather difficult to see around the book stacks and had to stand on tiptoe.

“They mentioned something about things changing in a matter of months, so I would assume it’ll be relatively soon. We need to come up with a plan, and quickly. In the meantime I will try to find out everything I can and hopefully, we can get in contact with some of our lot in the camps who might have more information” As Seungmin spoke, a low whizzing sound was gradually getting louder and Felix gasped as a small wisp of white light flew into the room. Chan reached a hand out and caught it in a split-second, cradling the light source in the palm of one hand.

“It’s a message from the leader of Heliopolis. Some of the humans they took in have been found out to be moles for the dark fae, looking for information to take back or looking to cause harm to the residents in the city. I suppose this means we should be extra careful about the people we let in here” Chan sighed and everyone was looking pensive while considering what to do.

“What about Felix?” The boy in question felt his heart pick up in pace, worried that they could sense his presence. “He’s been with us for a while now, how do we know we can still trust him? I’m not saying this because of my distrust from before, it’s more because he knows a fair amount and his arrival was rather abrupt” Of course Changbin would question his intentions. Felix rolled his eyes.

“I know you don’t want to put your trust in anyone but us, but Felix is no harm. Seungmin was the one to help him escape and nothing about the boy made him question helping Felix escape and he’s told me enough about his past for me to know that he’d never help them. That and he was incredibly confused and in awe of magic when he first learned of it” Some of them laughed a little at that, in no sort of malice, making his cheeks heat a little from where he stood behind the books.

“I know, I know...sorry. I shouldn’t let my personal experiences get in the way of rationality. I guess we just need to be careful when making decisions from now on, but everyone trusts you to do that well enough anyway” Changbin motioned to the leader.

“You’ve had enough to deal with after what happened, don’t apologise for wanting to protect yourself, it’s only natural. As long as you’re okay to continue patrolling at night, that way if anyone enters, tries to leave or is up to something then you’ll be the first to know, we should be safe enough. I’ll continue testing new weapons and with Seungmin’s help, we should be able to easily keep up with what the dark fae are doing” There were several murmurs, signalling agreeance with Chan’s suggestion. Felix, however, couldn’t help but wonder what the two were referencing concerning Changbin. “Speaking of Felix...It’s clear that he possesses skill in training and I feel he’s trustworthy enough” Felix felt as though this was something he really shouldn’t be hearing, but he couldn’t turn away. “What do you say about granting him powers? Or at least let him consult the oracle to see if it’s possible” He almost stopped breathing, it seemed like some of the others were taken aback by the suggestion too and a strange, contemplative silence fell upon them.

“...I think we should ask him. He’s already proven himself a good fighter, but some kind of magic would help him so much more and god knows we need that help if we’re gonna stop the dark fae. He’d be able to protect himself better too and wouldn’t require our help to keep him safe all the time if we did have to fight” More noises of agreement after Hyunjin said his part, Felix kinda hoped that this wasn’t just talk. He wasn’t power-hungry, nor did he want magic for any selfish reason. Everything he’d been shown since arriving here had mesmerised him, yet he felt left behind, as though something was telling him that he should be able to experience this life too and that there was more out there for him. Felix didn’t want anything more than to feel like he was a part of something bigger than just himself, with magic or not, it didn’t matter much as long as they accepted him.

“Settled then, I’ll speak to him about it but you’re all free for dinner, I’m going to stay here for a little longer” The scraping of chairs on the stone floor could be heard and Felix cursed a little at the fact that he couldn’t escape easily if Chan was still here. The others left together and Felix was forced to sit tight as their voices faded from earshot.

“Felix, come here” He jumped out of his skin, there was no escaping this, Chan would probably kill him for sneaking around especially considering the current situation of humans infiltrating villages. He slowly removed his grip on the bookshelf and shuffled around towards the table where Chan was still sitting.

“Your curiosity will be the death of you, mark my words. But nevermind that just now. I’d be stupid to think you didn’t hear any of that so you’re lucky that I trust your good intentions and that no one else noticed you” Sheepishness was plastered all over Felix’s face.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come down here. I didn’t consider going through the door till I saw you and Seungmin in the entrance hall. I promise I only wanted to know what was going on so that I could be of help, it’s boring around here when everyone else is off doing cool, important things…” Felix was indeed lucky, for Chan seemed to be more amused by the situation than reprimanding.

“Well, I’m impressed that you got down here without being noticed and with your honesty about being here. How would you feel about it? About consulting the oracle to find out whether you’d be candidate enough to be granted magic?”.

“I’d like that, I want to help you and the village more than just being trained. But what actually is the oracle?”.

“I’m glad you feel that way, you were already a great help with the training, it’s a big part of our current situation but I think you’re trusted enough by all of us to be given this privilege” Felix wasn’t sure _ everyone _ trusted him but he was happy to hear that he’d be taken on board. “The oracle is a book that we use to communicate with the deities to get advice and help on complicated topics, as a higher power they are also able to judge character and decide their fate. It sounds scarier than it is, but we’ll make sure that you know what you’re signing yourself up for before you fully decide if you want this”.

Felix was pretty sure he wanted this, he wanted to feel the same magic flowing through him as it did when Jisung conducted it through him to heal the tree. He wanted to heal and protect his family. The people who had taken him in without much questioning and given him a home that had been taken from him years ago.

_ His family. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helio is related to the sun and the personification of the sun, Helios, and polis means city, so Heliopolis is Suncity...I think. I don't know much greek haha, I just wanted to add some more places to the story, now we have Suncity and Cloudland and I might add in more. I want more depth to the idea of there being more villages and points of contact working to take down the Nightmares
> 
> I’m still not sure whether to add ships into this or not, I can still do it from this point onwards so if you guys want that then let me know. You guys are the readers after all and I want to keep you interested
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed it and if you have any questions or would like to discuss things with me then feel free to leave a comment. Hope you all have a lovely day/night!


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